haruki

Closing 43 stores is hardly a big deal when they have 3300 in the UK.

I got a lecture off the guy when I asked for some vegetarian cheese for fondue, along the lines of it being a ridiculous thing to ask for and the only solution being to order it from some guy in Kent. Plus I was informed that nobody wanted to make vegetarian cheese any more and in a few years I wouldn't be able to buy it. He then totally changed his mind and said that if it was only for fondue then pretty much anything would work and suggested three different options. He's a bit of a misery sometimes.

And in this context, they're hardly mutually exclusive. I'm not sure what caring about people has to do with being vegetarian. Every time you eat a piece of Quorn an orphan dies? Without wanting to get too philosophical, it's also fairly meaningless to just make a blanket statement saying you care more about people than animals. On a practical level I expect most people who own a pet would care more about it than an arbitrary person they don't know. It's all relative. But if it's about humanity as a whole, would the obvious extension of the statement be that you care about people more than anything else? More than plants, more than the environment, etc etc. Because then you're kind of stuck that it's all mutually dependent.

The Pembrokeshire coast path is stunning, 186 miles long. http://www.visitpembrokeshire.com/explore-pembrokeshire/coast-path/

These are pretty good. Not widely available yet though: http://www.squarerootsoda.co.uk/about/

I've just done the exact thing you describe, nearly 3 years renting in ED and then moved... to Forest Gate. It's not really sketchy. Admittedly, large parts of it are a bit run down, but the housing stock is pretty good. we've got a small weekly market, a couple of independent coffee shops, a decent pub (same people as EDT) and a craft beer cafe that knocks the spots off anything similar in ED. However, that's about it. We are lacking in restaurants. And if you want shops selling assorted twee knick knacks and birds, you'll be lacking. But on the up side, you've got Wanstead a ten minute bus ride away, which is basically ED-lite and has a load of nice pubs/restaurants. I'd definitely take a look around FG, as with Crossrail coming soonish the area is probably only going to go one way. Ideally you want to be North of the train tracks, or in the couple of streets immediately to the South.

Do you mean this? http://www.artangel.org.uk/projects/2014/spectra/

Audrey (who appears to be the new owner) has posted a link to the actual website above. It's a bar/cafe. It looks intriguing. Something that could never be said about boho at least!

Not so sure it's a shop. When I peered in the other day it was laid out like a bar, a big shared table, trendy retro lighting etc.

Do the trains ever leave LB on time any more? At least two days in a row where every other train seems to be a "fast train to West Croydon" and they're all delayed by about 15-20 mins.

It is fun, but it's over very quickly! I would probably go for the harness option vs water.

DaveR Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It's easy to get carried away by stories of price > madness in particular areas - currently it seems > to be ED and Hackney - and assume that it's a > universal picture, when it ain't. Not sure I agree with that. As someone looking to buy pretty much anywhere in zone 2-3 across SE, NE and E London I can tell you price madness is everywhere. E.g. I saw a property in South Woodford that had been purchased for 245k, been done up a bit then sold 2 months later for 325k. When I first started looking in Forest Gate for houses in December 275k was normal. Now 350k is normal. One property that was on at 260k in January clearly fell through and is now on at 320k. Ditto Hither Green, Forest Hill, Walthamstow. Anywhere vaguely desirable. There just simply aren't enough properties anywhere.

Radio rooftop is supposed to be great, open air terrace with views across the river.

Hello, OP here. The incident happened exactly as described. Not sure why it's so hard to believe. I have no anti-cycling agenda, my point was about this particular arsehole, not cyclists in general. And as for why I've not been joining in this conversation? I think the resulting five pages are answer enough.

-- moved topic --

Easiest to hardest (ish): Puy lentil chilli http://underthewarminglamp.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/vegetarian-chili-with-puy-lentils.html Aubergine parmigiana http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/aubergine-parmigiana-melanzane-alla-parmigiana Mushroom / goats cheese Tartlet http://www.womanandhome.com/recipes/293585/mushroom-goat-s-cheese-and-tarragon-tartlets Paneer / roast veg tikka + dhal http://redchillycurry.com/tandoori-paneer-tikkapaneer-tikka-kababs/ Beer-battered halloumi with minted peas, homemade wedges http://www.peachtreesandbumblebees.com/2011/10/03/beer-battered-halloumi/ If anyone wants a challenge I'll post a recipe from Terre a Terre, best veggie restaurant in the world (maybe).

... opposite ED station, with the child seat on the back. You know who you are. I don't suppose you'll read this, but if you do, I agree with the man you were in a fracas with, you are a disgrace. When facing somebody who has correctly pointed out that you shouldn't be on the pavement, the appropriate response is not to make baby noises and threaten to hit them. Your behaviour was embarrassing and I'm just sorry I wasn't ten seconds quicker so you could have faced someone your own size. Obligatory PS - I know not all cyclists do this, but this moron did.

But as far as I've heard, they're not proposing to close the half moon. Although they do want to add some upstairs flats.

It wasn't the police, it was the UK border agency.

I was on the 176 the other day and the heaters were on too. Some well-meaning guy went down to tell the driver, and although I couldn't hear everything he said it went along the lines of I used to drive one of these, why are the heaters on? ... Driver mutters ... What on earth are you doing?! .... Driver mutters .... That's the windscreen wiper! .... Driver mutters ... I give up! Heating stayed on

I doubt that the "quality" of a restaurant plays any part in whether or not it is granted permission. Even if it did, I fail to see how a chain restaurant would lead to better quality. I can't think of any chain restaurants that are better than independents, particularly the Mediterranean ones. As for all the half-empty restaurants on LL, maybe if we didn't have 10 or so Indian restaurants it wouldn't be the case!

The one time I ate in duck egg cafe put me off for good. It was like eating in a creche. The noise from the play area was ridiculous! But that's fine, as there are many other places without play areas. I don't have kids, but my perception has never been that there is a lack of kid-friendly venues. This is particularly so during the week. From your blog it looks like you went to the Actress and the Bishop. There's often no room for people without buggies at the weekend, so I don't know what the pubs could really do to be more accommodating. I'd have thought the Herne or the Plough would have more space.

I'm a vegetarian, and though I agree with some of the above (goats cheese) I'm inclined to disagree overall. The UK is by far the easiest place to be a vegetarian that I've ever been, from obvious things like the breadth of veggie-friendly food, to subtle things like food labelling. In ED specifically, we're spoilt for choice: 6+ cafes, for breakfasty stuff Who-knows-how-many Indian restaurants 3 Italians 2 Turkish 2 Thai Burger place All of them have a good vegetarian selection. Now, I'm not saying they're good, but that's a whole other issue. Even looking at pubs you've got the Bishop which does a great veggie range, including a good Sunday roast option. It seems the problem really comes with places like the Palmerston and Franklin's, who by virtue of their smaller menus have less choice. It's usually not vegetable lasagne or risotto though, so I don't mind so much. At least they put the menu online so if you don't like it you don't have to go!

When I was walking down LL at the time of said helicopter, there were police cars blocking the ends of several streets. Presume they were looking for someone.

This is a bit of an odd thread even for the EDF, and I've taken the bait, but never mind: It's no secret that major food manufacturers are still using battery eggs, and for anyone who actually cares it's pretty easy to avoid them. Co-op, M&S and Waitrose only use free range eggs in their own brand ranges. Other supermarkets/manufacturers have made commitments to cut back their use or phase them out altogether (e.g. Hellmans switched to free range recently). So I regularly enjoy a wide range of cake thanks very much!